Magic Tricks

I first fell in love with the Free Will premise after seeing something like it in Marc Paul's Alakazam Lecture and added it to my routine. After getting great responses and feedback I began looking into its different variations. It popped up again in Paul Vigil's Live Act, the version I currently carry for walkaround mentalism. All in all, I've been using free will plots for about 6 months now, but I'm not ashamed to say that I still didn't really know much about them, their origin, variations, and evolution. It was shortly after my exploration began that a trusted friend on here (The Unmasked Magician) tipped me off to Mark's book.

This is the first book by Mark that I've read and I can safely say it's a hit for me. He's an entertaining and intelligent author and clearly demonstrates a firm understanding of the fundamental concepts behind a free will plot such as scripting, timing, outs, equivoque, and other contingencies. It's worth noting that within the first effect he mentions that if the idea of "Out to Lunch" is unfamiliar to you, then it is possible you found this book "too soon" in your journey into mentalism. Initially, I thought it was a bit bold of him to set his own 'recommended level of entry' (so to speak), but it's a pretty fair level and a valid point, to be honest. It's certainly not meant to discourage anyone from reading. He plainly states that if you aren't familiar, it may be beneficial to go back and familiarize yourself with more classic material before revisiting his, but it isn't absolutely necessary and there is still much to be gained from reading this at any stage in your development. I think I discovered this book at exactly the right time in my own journey.

As for the content, there is some overlap here, but that's to be expected in a book examining variations on a single premise. The selected effects utilize a variety of presentations from a spectrum of quality creators. Despite all sharing the same premise, the material never felt repetitive or redundant; each variation brings something new to the premise or fleshes out ideas that were established in another. The referenced materials in this text will also give curious budding mentalists some homework for the near future.

I especially enjoyed Drew Backenstoss and Patrick Redford's contributions; I already knew Drew's from his outstanding book Architect of the Mind, but I was glad to see Patrick's material here as well (both of them are amazingly gifted creators that I've quickly come to respect and appreciate as guides on my own journey, the same can now be said for Mark). Both of their effects are previously published in projects by their respective creators, but they are excellent additions that certainly belong here.

That does mean some of the other featured routines are previously published, but that doesn't mean there's nothing new to be found here. Mark's own routines were some of the highlights for me. I loved his effect Free Balling; I actually got to try it out a couple of separate times this morning with my coworkers (my regular trial participants) and love the way it plays out. The colored papers also allow you to work in a bit of color reading if you're into that. There was also something fitting about using colored Post-It notes in an office setting Smile I'm definitely adding it to my table/parlor set moving forward.

Another real bonus (for me at least) was the inclusion of a handful of flow charts of the possible outcomes in a few effects. As a visual learner, I get excited when I see a flow chart or infographic, so that was a nice touch. To clarify, the flow charts are not included with every effect, just the first few, but they really aren't necessary if you've got a handle on the basic premise.

For those that don't already have a favorite Free Will effect or perhaps aren't familiar with the premise, I highly recommend finding a copy of this book. If you already have a favorite presentation and are intimately familiar, I would still absolutely recommend this book to help evolve and polish your current Free Will effects or discover something new. Also, it's simply a gorgeous book worth collecting, love the green leather binding. Haresign Press is quickly becoming my favorite publishing house for quality content in a beautiful binding. This book fits perfectly on the shelf alongside Architect of the Mind and The Intrepid Young Rogue's Manual of Deception.

At its low price point of $65 on Penguin (with free shipping) and all of the quality content within, this book is an absolutely amazing value.

I'll try to post a follow-up review once I've had a chance to demo more of the other material, but on the quality of the book and Mark's material alone